nnfedp fy 2012 foa.pdf

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COPMPLETING THE

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Template

OVERVIEW INFORMATION

Issued By U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) / Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, National Technical Nuclear Forensics Center Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number 97.130

CFDA Title National Nuclear Forensics Expertise Development Program

Funding Opportunity Announcement Title National Nuclear Forensics Expertise Development Program

Authorizing Authority for Program Nuclear Forensics and Attribution Act (P.L. 111-140; Sec. 4(a)(12)) which reads, in part: ‘‘"(12) establish a National Nuclear Forensics Expertise Development Program, which - ‘‘(A) is devoted to developing and maintaining a vibrant and enduring academic pathway from undergraduate to post-doctorate study in nuclear and geochemical science specialties directly relevant to technical nuclear forensics, including radiochemistry, geochemistry, nuclear physics,nuclear engineering, materials science, and analytical chemistry; ‘‘(B) shall—‘‘(i) make available for undergraduate study student scholarships, with a duration of up to 4 years per student, which shall include, if possible, at least 1 summer internship at a national laboratory or appropriate Federal agency in the field of technical nuclear forensics during the course of the student’s undergraduate career;

‘‘(ii) make available for doctoral study student fellowships, with a duration of up to 5 years per student, which shall - ‘‘(I) include, if possible, at least 2 summer internships at a national laboratory or appropriate Federal agency in the field of technical nuclear forensics during the course of the student’s graduate career; and ‘‘(II) require each recipient to commit to serve for 2 years in a post-doctoral position in a technical nuclear forensics-related specialty at a national laboratory or appropriate Federal agency after graduation; ‘‘(iii) make available to faculty awards, with a duration of 3 to 5 years each, to ensure faculty and their graduate students have a sustained funding stream; and ‘‘(iv) place a particular emphasis on reinvigorating technical nuclear forensics programs while encouraging the participation of undergraduate students, graduate students, and university faculty from historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, Alaska Native-serving institutions, and Hawaiian Native-serving institutions; and ‘‘(C) shall— ‘‘(i) provide for the selection of individuals to receive scholarships or fellowships under this section through a competitive process primarily on the basis of academic merit and the nuclear forensics and attribution needs of the United States Government; ‘‘(ii) provide for the setting aside of up to 10 percent of the scholarships or fellowships awarded under this section for individuals who are Federal employees to enhance the education of such employees in areas of critical nuclear forensics and attribution needs of the

United States Government, for doctoral education under the scholarship on a full-time or part-time basis; ‘‘(iii) provide that the Secretary may enter into a contractual agreement with an institution of higher education under which the amounts provided for a scholarship under this section for tuition, fees, and other authorized expenses are paid directly to the institution with respect to which such scholarship is awarded; ‘‘(iv) require scholarship recipients to maintain satisfactory academic progress; and ‘‘(v) require that—‘‘(I) a scholarship recipient who fails to maintain a high level of academic standing, as defined by the Secretary, who is dismissed for disciplinary reasons from the educational institution such recipient is attending, or who voluntarily terminates academic training before graduation from the educational program for which the scholarship was awarded shall be liable to the United States for repayment within 1 year after the date of such default of all scholarship funds paid to such recipient and to the institution of higher education on the behalf of such recipient, provided that the repayment period may be extended by the Secretary if the Secretary determines it necessary, as established by regulation; and ‘‘(II) a scholarship recipient who, for any reason except death or disability, fails to begin or complete the post-doctoral service requirements in a technical nuclear forensics-related specialty at a national laboratory or appropriate Federal agency after completion of academic training shall be liable to the United States for an amount equal to - ‘‘(aa) the total amount of the scholarship received by such recipient under this section; and ‘‘(bb) the interest on such amounts which would be payable if at the time the scholarship was received such scholarship was a loan bearing interest at the maximum legally prevailing rate;"

Appropriation Authority for Program FY12 appropriations citation is P.L. 112-74, Consolidated Appropriations Act:

http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.2055.enr:#

FOA Number

2012-NF-130-00001

Key Dates and Time Application Start Date: 01-10-2012

Application Submission Deadline Date: 02-23-2012

Anticipated Funding Selection Date: 03-09-2012

Anticipated Award Date: 03-16-2012

Other Key Dates Other Key Dates: N/A

Intergovernmental Review http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.2055.enr:�

Is an intergovernmental review required? Yes No

If yes, include the following text:

Applicants must contact their State’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) to find out about and comply with the State’s process under Executive Order 12372. Name and addresses of the SPOCs are maintained at the Office of Management and Budget’s home page at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc to ensure currency.

This requirement is imposed on a state-by-state basis, depending on whether or not the state has opted in and is listed at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc. For more information on Intergovernmental Review, please visit http://www.fws.gov/policy/library/rgeo12372.pdf for the full text of EO 12372.

FOA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Program Type Select the applicable program type: New Continuing One-time

Date of origin for Program: 10/01/2007

Opportunity Category Select the applicable opportunity category:

Check all boxes that apply

Discretionary Mandatory

Mandatory grants are those with prescribed funding allocations, such as formula grants.

Discretionary are all other types of programs.

Competitive Non-competitive

Sole Source

(Note: Sole source grants require prior approval by OMB. At the time of submitting the FOA to FAPO for review the grant Awarding Office is responsible for providing confirmation of approval for sole source funding, including the explanation that justifies sole source funding.

Application Process http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc� http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc� http://www.fws.gov/policy/library/rgeo12372.pdf�

DHS makes all funding opportunities available through the common electronic “storefront” grants.gov, accessible on the Internet at http://www.grants.gov. If you experience difficulties accessing information or have any questions please call the grants.gov customer support hotline at

(800) 518-4726.

Application forms and instructions are available at Grants.gov. To access these materials, go to http://www.grants.gov , select “Apply for Grants,” and then select “Download Application Package.” Enter the CFDA and/or the funding opportunity number located on the cover of this announcement. Select “Download Application Package,” and then follow the prompts to download the application package. To download the instructions, go to “Download Application Package” and select “Instructions.”

If there are additional processes that grantees need to adhere to, provide a description of the application submission process. This includes information potential applicants will need in order to obtain application forms, supplemental guidance, or other materials necessary to apply.

You may list detailed information, such system descriptions and links as part of an Appendix.

file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\sheath\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Content.Outlook\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\stacey.street\Local%20Settings\Documents%20and%20Settings\lwatson6\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\OLK2F\grants.gov� http://www.grants.gov/� file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\sheath\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Content.Outlook\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\stacey.street\Local%20Settings\Documents%20and%20Settings\lwatson6\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Local%20Settings\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\OLK2F\grants.gov� http://www.grants.gov/�

Eligible Applicants List one or more of the following entities which are eligible to apply for this solicitation:

For-profit organizations other than small businesses Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS status, other than institution of higher education Others (see text field entitled “additional information on eligibility” for clarification)

Additional information should be provided under Section III, Eligibility Criteria of this FOA.

Type of Funding Instrument

Select the applicable funding instrument: Cooperative Agreement Grant

Federal role will qualify as substantial involvement in that the Program Office actively tracks the progress and status of student/university awardees, reviews/approves all program materials, and makes all final decisions regarding award selections (based on recommendations from an independent review panel). The recipient will be required to maintain close and regular (at least weekly) interaction with the Program Office, including: a) providing all application and other program materials to the Program Office for review and approval, b) providing monthly programmatic reports with updates on each initiative and any issues related to students, universities, or laboratories involved in the program, and c) providing monthly financial reports, tracking funding levels and expenditures for each initiative. If multiple federal agencies have provided funds for a given initiative, those funds must be discriminated appropriately.

Cost Share or Match Select the applicable requirement: Cost Match Cost Share None Required

If a cost match or cost share is required, please provide percentage or amount. For non-statutory (i.e., discretionary) cost match or share requirement, please provide the basis for decision to have a cost match/share and supporting documentation, such as a Federal Register Notice.

Indicate if there are any restrictions on the types of cost (e.g., in-kind contribution) that are acceptable as cost sharing or matching.

If Cost Share or Cost Match is required, provide the appropriate formula sample for the applicant’s use.

For a cost match the recipient contribution is calculated based on the federal contribution as:

Percent recipient contribution multiplied by the value of the federal contribution in US$.

For example, if a program requires a 25% cost match the and the federal contribution is $100,000 the recipient contribution is calculated as (0.25) X $100,000 = $25,000.

For a cost share the recipient contribution is calculated based on total project cost as:

The value of the federal contribution in US$ divided by the federal contribution in percent.

This requires a two step calculation.

For example, if a program requires a 25% cost share and the federal contribution is $100,000 then the federal contribution is 100% - 25% = 75% (Step 1) and the recipient contribution is calculated as $100,000/(100%-25%) = $33,333. (Step 2). (The total project cost in this example is $133,333).

Maintenance of Effort Is there a Maintenance of Effort (MOE) requirement? Yes No

Management and Administration

Recovery of Indirect Costs (IDC) is allowable by the grantee and any sub-grantees. Since IDC is based on a Federally approved and negotiated rate, if IDC is allowable request that the applicant provide a copy of an official letter confirming the negotiated rate at the time of application.

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Program Overview and Priorities

The objectives of this program are:

The objectives of this program are: (1) to provide a stable foundation from which to develop and maintain the nuclear forensics workforce; (2) to provide a academic pathway from undergraduate to post-doctorate study in disciplines directly relevant to nuclear forensics, including radiochemistry, geochemistry, nuclear physics, nuclear engineering, materials science, and analytical chemistry;

and (3) to increase a diverse and highly talented cadre of new and emerging forensics experts who will fill specific expertise gaps in the area of nuclear forensics, an important homeland security mission.

These objectives are aligned with the DHS Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) Mission 1: Preventing Terrorism and Enhancing Security. The NNFEDP aims to supply the technical expertise critical to enabling the nuclear forensics mission, which supports the following Goals and Objectives:

Goal 1.1: Prevent Terrorist Attacks Objective 1.1.2: Deter and Disrupt Operations Goal 1.2: Prevent the Unauthorized Acquisition or Use of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Materials and Capabilities Objective 1.2.1: Anticipate Emerging Threats Objective 1.2.2: Control Access to CBRN Objective 1.2.4: Protection against Hostile Use of CBRN.

In order to accomplish this mandate, the following goals must be met:

1. Implement a Nuclear Forensics Undergraduate Scholarship Program to provide outreach to the academic community, facilitate experiential learning in nuclear forensics-related research areas, and feed students into the Nuclear Forensics Graduate Fellowship Program.

2. Implement a Nuclear Forensics Graduate Fellowship Program to encourage students to pursue advanced degrees in radiochemistry and other nuclear forensics-related disciplines, encourage universities to invest in these types of programs, facilitate experiential learning in nuclear forensics-related research areas, and feed students into post-doctoral/permanent staff positions in nuclear forensics at the national laboratories or federal agencies.

3. Implement a Nuclear Forensics Education Award Program to support universities interested in developing and maintaining academic programs in nuclear forensics-related disciplines.

Implement a Nuclear Forensics Junior Faculty Award Program to provide universities with an incentive to recruit, promote, and retain highly qualified personnel to teach within nuclear forensics-related degree programs and contribute to associated research projects at universities..

Program Objectives

The objectives of this program are: (1) to provide a stable foundation from which to develop and maintain the nuclear forensics workforce; (2) to provide a academic pathway from undergraduate to post-doctorate study in disciplines directly relevant to nuclear forensics, including radiochemistry, geochemistry, nuclear physics, nuclear engineering, materials science, and analytical chemistry;

and (3) to increase a diverse and highly talented cadre of new and emerging forensics experts who will fill specific expertise gaps in the area of nuclear forensics, an important homeland security mission.

Linkage to the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR)

The objectives of this program are: (1) to provide a stable foundation from which to develop and maintain the nuclear forensics workforce; (2) to provide a academic pathway from undergraduate to post-doctorate study in disciplines directly relevant to nuclear forensics, including radiochemistry, geochemistry, nuclear physics, nuclear engineering, materials science, and analytical chemistry;

and (3) to increase a diverse and highly talented cadre of new and emerging forensics experts who will fill specific expertise gaps in the area of nuclear forensics, an important homeland security mission.

These objectives are aligned with the DHS Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) Mission 1: Preventing Terrorism and Enhancing Security. The NNFEDP aims to supply the technical expertise critical to enabling the nuclear forensics mission, which supports the following Goals and Objectives:

Goal 1.1: Prevent Terrorist Attacks

Objective 1.1.2: Deter and Disrupt Operations Goal 1.2: Prevent the Unauthorized Acquisition or Use of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Materials and Capabilities Objective 1.2.1: Anticipate Emerging Threats Objective 1.2.2: Control Access to CBRN Objective 1.2.4: Protection against Hostile Use of CBRN.

At the conclusion of the QHSR alignment section, include the following language below in this section of the FOA:

For additional details on the QHSR Report, please refer to http://www.dhs.gov/xabout/gc_1208534155450.shtm.

II. Funding Information

Award Amounts, Important Dates, and Extensions

Available Funding for the FOA: $2,500,000

Projected number of Awards: 1

Projected Award Start Date(s): 03-09-2012

Projected Award End Date(s): 03-16-2012

Period of Performance: 5 years Details of funding amounts, e.g., for formula grants can be provided in an Appendix. N/A

Period of Performance Is an extension to the period of performance permitted? Yes No

If extensions to the period of performance will be considered, indicate what steps grantees must follow and what information must be included in the justification for such request to be considered.

III. Eligibility Information

Eligibility Criteria http://www.dhs.gov/xabout/gc_1208534155450.shtm�

Provide specific criteria which make an applicant eligible for the program.

Eligible applications under this funding opportunity will be submitted by public nonprofit institutions/organizations, profit organizations, private nonprofit institutions/organizations, or other private institutions/organizations with the requisite expertise to perform all specified functions.

The applicant should fully address the following items:

1. Project Plan: Supply a detailed scope of work for assistance requested through this Funding

Opportunity Announcement. This scope of work should harmonize with the Budget Narrative and Justification (see item below). At a minimum, the scope must include:

a) Specific functions/tasks to be performed. Specifically, the applicant will explain how it will:

i) Facilitate collaboration among academic programs, universities, and national laboratories to effectively integrate the education and research process with technical expertise from national laboratories. Establish and maintain federal agency/national laboratory/university networks in scientific disciplines relevant to nuclear forensics.

ii) Specifically, manage the day-to-day administration of the Nuclear Forensics Undergraduate Scholarship Program, Nuclear Forensics Graduate Fellowship program, the Nuclear Forensics Education Award Program, and the Nuclear Forensics Junior Faculty Award Program.

(1) Maintain oversight of national award competitions

(a) Nationally advertise/market/publish program information and application materials through universities, professional societies, and other relevant entities, including by maintaining a program website

(b) Manage the application process, which should be primarily online

(c) Manage and oversee the evaluation process by an independent review panel of technical subject matter experts from the national laboratories and provide recommendations to the Program Office for final decision; also provide decision letters to all applicants

(d) Issue new awards and award renewals (as applicable and based on demonstrated progress) for each initiative annually.

b) Manage student scholarship and fellowship administration, university award administration, and junior faculty award administration on a day-to-day basis. This includes:

i) Communicating directly and regularly with students, university faculty, and national laboratory mentors to provide information, answer questions, and resolve issues

ii) Providing awarded funds to universities for Graduate Fellow tuition and providing funds to Graduate Fellows for monthly stipends; providing scholarship funds to Undergraduate Scholars

iii) Providing annual awarded funds in September of each year to universities for Education Awards and Junior Faculty Awards; managing the university cost-share requirement of these two initiatives

iv) Closely monitoring academic/technical performance of student and university awardees, which should include annual site visits to participating universities.

(1) Working with students/universities to remedy sub-par performance and keeping the

Program Office apprised of issues

(2) Providing an annual progress report from all students and university faculty seeking renewal of an award. This report should be supplemented by an independent evaluation of student/university progress based on continuous monitoring and site visits and provided to the Program Office.

c) Work with students, faculty advisors, and laboratory mentors to facilitate student laboratory practica/thesis/dissertation research.

i) Ensure research topics are technically relevant to nuclear forensics

ii) Work with laboratories and federal agencies as necessary to facilitate the student clearance process

d) Work with university awardees to develop and enhance faculty expertise, curriculum, laboratory equipment and instrumentation, collaboration with national laboratories, and other elements needed to support forensics research.

e) Compile and maintain up-to-date data for each initiative that include the relevant details for each student or award (e.g., for students: date awarded, expected graduation date, research focus, home university, faculty advisor, laboratory practicum location, laboratory mentor, etc.)

f) Implement a smooth transition for students and universities already in the NNFEDP to management under this new Cooperative Agreement.

iii. Actively utilize the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN) NNFEDP collaboration site, which provides a secure virtual forum for student, university, laboratory, and federal agency information sharing.

iv. Expand targeted NNFEDP outreach to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), including increasing student and institutional participation in the Nuclear Forensics Undergraduate Scholarship Program, Nuclear Forensics Graduate Fellowship program, the Nuclear Forensics Education Award Program, and the Nuclear Forensics Junior Faculty Award Program.

v. Promote the NNFEDP at national technical conferences to enhance visibility.

vi. Maintain close and regular interaction with the Program Office.

a. Provide monthly programmatic reports with updates on each initiative and any issues related to students, universities, or laboratories involved in the program

b. Provide monthly financial reports, tracking funding levels and expenditures for each initiative. If multiple federal agencies have provided funds for a given initiative, those funds must be discriminated appropriately.

c. Timeline – Project milestones and estimated deadlines.

d. Budget Narrative and Justification – Cost estimates and detailed breakouts.

e. Transition Plan – Detailed plan for transitioning ongoing program initiatives from the previous contract mechanism to the new Agreement from the time of the award through 31 July 2012, ensuring all aspects of the program continue to function smoothly during and after this period.

How Program will monitor the results and assign measurable performance measures for programmatic reporting (this is also included as a task under Project Narrative above):

Maintain close and regular interaction with the Program Office.

a. Provide monthly programmatic reports with updates on each initiative and any issues related to students, universities, or laboratories involved in the program

b. Provide monthly financial reports, tracking funding levels and expenditures for each initiative. If multiple federal agencies have provided funds for a given initiative, those funds must be discriminated appropriately.

IV. Funding Restrictions

Restrictions on Use of Award Funds

List program specific funding restrictions or other limitations for applicants to consider when developing an application and budget consistent with program requirements.

A. Program Specific Terms and Conditions

A. The Program Office actively tracks the progress and status of student/university awardees, reviews/approves all program materials, and makes all final decisions regarding award selections (based on recommendations from an independent review panel). The Recipient will be required to maintain close and regular (at least weekly) interaction with the Program Office, including: a) providing all application and other program materials to the Program Office for review and approval, b) providing monthly programmatic reports with updates on each initiative and any issues related to students, universities, or laboratories involved in the program, and c) providing monthly financial reports, tracking funding levels and expenditures for each initiative. If multiple federal agencies have provided funds for a given initiative, those funds must be discriminated appropriately.

B. In addition, the Recipient will specifically be required to:

a. Specific functions/tasks to be performed:

(1) Facilitate collaboration among academic programs, universities, and national laboratories to effectively integrate the education and research process with technical expertise from national laboratories. Establish and maintain federal agency/national laboratory/university networks in scientific disciplines relevant to nuclear forensics.

(2) Specifically, manage the day-to-day administration of the Nuclear Forensics Undergraduate Scholarship Program, Nuclear Forensics Graduate Fellowship program, the Nuclear Forensics Education Award Program, and the Nuclear Forensics Junior Faculty Award Program.

(a) Maintain oversight of national award competitions

(i) Nationally advertise/market/publish program information and application materials through universities, professional societies, and other relevant entities, including by maintaining a program website

(ii) Manage the application process, which should be primarily online (iii)Manage and oversee the evaluation process by an independent review panel of technical subject matter experts from the national laboratories and provide recommendations to the Program Office for final decision; also provide decision letters to all applicants

(iv) Issue new awards and award renewals (as applicable and based on demonstrated progress) for each initiative annually.

(b) Manage student scholarship and fellowship administration, university award administration, and junior faculty award administration on a day-to-day basis.

This includes:

(i) Communicating directly and regularly with students, university faculty, and national laboratory mentors to provide information, answer questions, and resolve issues

(ii) Providing awarded funds to universities for Graduate Fellow tuition and providing funds to Graduate Fellows for monthly stipends; providing scholarship funds to Undergraduate Scholars

(iii)Providing annual awarded funds in September of each year to universities for Education Awards and Junior Faculty Awards; managing the university cost-share requirement of these two initiatives

(iv) Closely monitoring academic/technical performance of student and university awardees, which should include annual site visits to participating universities.

1. Working with students/universities to remedy sub-par performance and keeping the Program Office apprised of issues

2. Providing an annual progress report from all students and university faculty seeking renewal of an award. This report should be supplemented by an independent evaluation of student/university progress based on continuous monitoring and site visits and provided to the Program Office.

(c) Work with students, faculty advisors, and laboratory mentors to facilitate student laboratory practica/thesis/dissertation research.

i) Ensure research topics are technically relevant to nuclear forensics

ii) Work with laboratories and federal agencies as necessary to facilitate the student clearance process

(d) Work with university awardees to develop and enhance faculty expertise, curriculum, laboratory equipment and instrumentation, collaboration with national laboratories, and other elements needed to support forensics research.

(e) Compile and maintain up-to-date data for each initiative that include the relevant details for each student or award (e.g., for students: date awarded, expected graduation date, research focus, home university, faculty advisor, laboratory practicum location, laboratory mentor, etc.)

(f) Implement a smooth transition for students and universities already in the NNFEDP to management under this new Cooperative Agreement.

1. Actively utilize the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN)

NNFEDP collaboration site, which provides a secure virtual forum for student, university, laboratory, and federal agency information sharing.

2. Expand targeted NNFEDP outreach to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), including increasing student and institutional participation in the Nuclear Forensics

Undergraduate Scholarship Program, Nuclear Forensics Graduate Fellowship program, the Nuclear Forensics Education Award Program, and the Nuclear Forensics Junior Faculty Award Program.

3. Promote the NNFEDP at national technical conferences to enhance visibility.

b. Timeline – Project milestones and estimated deadlines.

c. Budget Narrative and Justification – Cost estimates and detailed breakouts.

d. Transition Plan – Detailed plan for transitioning ongoing program initiatives from the previous contract mechanism to the new Agreement from the time of the award through 31 July 2012, ensuring all aspects of the program continue to function smoothly during and after this period.

C. Public Release of Information by the Recipient. Thirty (30) days prior to the public release of any information (e.g., applications, papers, briefings, posters, other publications) by the Recipient, the Recipient shall submit the information to the DHS Program Officer for review and comment.

D. Periodic Performance Review Meetings. The Recipient will participate in face-to-face Periodic Performance Review (PPR) Meetings with the DHS Program Officer. The purpose of the PPR Meetings is to discuss performance. These Meetings will occur quarterly, unless otherwise decided by the DHS Program Officer.

1. The discussion will address:

a. Highlights of all previous reporting periods’ work;

b. A description of the reporting period’s activity;

c. Technical progress achieved against goals;

d. Technical, cost or schedule difficulties encountered, if any;

e. Recovery plans (if needed); and

f. Explicit plans for the next reporting period.

V. Application Review Information and Selection Process

Application Review Information Describe the process by which submitted applications are evaluated and/or reviewed.

All applications will be reviewed by DHS component level staff using the criteria listed below.

Application Selection Process

VI. Post-Selection and Pre-Award Guidelines

Notice of Award DHS issues formal award notification documents following fulfillment of DHS Congressional notifications. All DHS grants and cooperative agreements are subject to the standard DHS award Terms and conditions, which are attached to this FOA package. Program specific terms and conditions are included in the Administrative and Federal Financial Requirements section below.

Administrative and Federal Financial Requirements

Provide any program specific criteria, policy or factors that will be used in selecting successful applications for an award. Examples include statutory/regulatory preference, technical merit, and/or geographical considerations.

Also include who is responsible for making the evaluation (e.g., DHS component, peer-level subject matter experts) and who makes the final selection for award.

Technical Approach: The application will be evaluated based upon the understanding of this announcement’s objectives.

A detailed plan for effectively executing all required functions and tasks associated with the NNFEDP as outlined above (50%)

An administrative plan, organizational structure, and business acumen that ensure effective management of NNFEDP resources and demonstrate effective and appropriate financial controls, budget processes, administrative oversight, and personnel management (25%)

Relevant Past Experience: The applicant will be evaluated on the extent to which it demonstrates specific expertise managing university research and education programs in nuclear science, engineering, and related fields, including experience facilitating collaboration among academic programs, universities, and national laboratories with the goal of integrating the academic education and practical technical research processes; experience working directly with undergraduate and graduate students, university faculty, and laboratory experts; and experience administering student and university-based financial awards. (25%)

All applications will be reviewed by DHS component level staff. Final award selections will also be made by DHS component level staff.

All successful applicants for all DHS grant and cooperative agreements are required to comply with DHS Standard Administrative Terms and Conditions available on page 6 of http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/cfo-financial-management-policy-manual.pdf.

A complete list of Federal Financial Requirements is available at:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_forms

Program Specific Terms and Conditions

A. The Program Office actively tracks the progress and status of student/university awardees, reviews/approves all program materials, and makes all final decisions regarding award selections (based on recommendations from an independent review panel). The Recipient will be required to maintain close and regular (at least weekly) interaction with the Program Office, including: a) providing all application and other program materials to the Program Office for review and approval, b) providing monthly programmatic reports with updates on each initiative and any issues related to students, universities, or laboratories involved in the program, and c) providing monthly financial reports, tracking funding levels and expenditures for each initiative. If multiple federal agencies have provided funds for a given initiative, those funds must be discriminated appropriately.

B. In addition, the Recipient will specifically be required to:

a. Specific functions/tasks to be performed:

(3) Facilitate collaboration among academic programs, universities, and national laboratories to effectively integrate the education and research process with technical expertise from national laboratories. Establish and maintain federal agency/national laboratory/university networks in scientific disciplines relevant to nuclear forensics.

(4) Specifically, manage the day-to-day administration of the Nuclear Forensics Undergraduate Scholarship Program, Nuclear Forensics Graduate Fellowship program, the Nuclear Forensics Education Award Program, and the Nuclear Forensics Junior Faculty Award Program.

(a) Maintain oversight of national award competitions

(iii) Nationally advertise/market/publish program information and application materials through universities, professional societies, and other relevant entities, including by maintaining a program website

(iv) Manage the application process, which should be primarily online

(v) Manage and oversee the evaluation process by an independent review panel of technical subject matter experts from the national laboratories and provide recommendations to the Program Office for final decision; also provide decision letters to all applicants

(vi) Issue new awards and award renewals (as applicable and based on demonstrated progress) for each initiative annually.

(c) Manage student scholarship and fellowship administration, university award administration, and junior faculty award administration on a day-to-day basis. This includes:

(i) Communicating directly and regularly with students, university faculty, and national laboratory mentors to provide information, answer questions, and resolve issues http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/cfo-financial-management-policy-manual.pdf� http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_forms�

(ii) Providing awarded funds to universities for Graduate Fellow tuition and providing funds to Graduate Fellows for monthly stipends; providing scholarship funds to Undergraduate Scholars

(v) Providing annual awarded funds in September of each year to universities for Education Awards and Junior Faculty Awards; managing the university cost-share requirement of these two initiatives

(vi) Closely monitoring academic/technical performance of student and university awardees, which should include annual site visits to participating universities.

1. Working with students/universities to remedy sub-par performance and keeping the Program Office apprised of issues

2. Providing an annual progress report from all students and university faculty seeking renewal of an award. This report should be supplemented by an independent evaluation of student/university progress based on continuous monitoring and site visits and provided to the Program Office.

(c) Work with students, faculty advisors, and laboratory mentors to facilitate student laboratory practica/thesis/dissertation research.

iii) Ensure research topics are technically relevant to nuclear forensics

iv) Work with laboratories and federal agencies as necessary to facilitate the student clearance process

(g) Work with university awardees to develop and enhance faculty expertise, curriculum, laboratory equipment and instrumentation, collaboration with national laboratories, and other elements needed to support forensics research.

(h) Compile and maintain up-to-date data for each initiative that include the relevant details for each student or award (e.g., for students: date awarded, expected graduation date, research focus, home university, faculty advisor, laboratory practicum location, laboratory mentor, etc.)

(i) Implement a smooth transition for students and universities already in the NNFEDP to management under this new Cooperative Agreement.

1. Actively utilize the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN) NNFEDP collaboration site, which provides a secure virtual forum for student, university, laboratory, and federal agency information sharing.

2. Expand targeted NNFEDP outreach to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), including increasing student and institutional participation in the Nuclear Forensics Undergraduate Scholarship Program, Nuclear Forensics Graduate Fellowship program, the Nuclear Forensics Education Award Program, and the Nuclear Forensics Junior Faculty Award Program.

3. Promote the NNFEDP at national technical conferences to enhance visibility.

e. Timeline – Project milestones and estimated deadlines.

f. Budget Narrative and Justification – Cost estimates and detailed breakouts.

g. Transition Plan – Detailed plan for transitioning ongoing program initiatives from the previous contract mechanism to the new Agreement from the time of the award through 31 July 2012, ensuring all aspects of the program continue to function smoothly during and after this period.

C. Public Release of Information by the Recipient. Thirty (30) days prior to the public release of any information (e.g., applications, papers, briefings, posters, other publications) by the Recipient, the Recipient shall submit the information to the DHS Program Officer for review and comment.

D. Periodic Performance Review Meetings. The Recipient will participate in face-to-face Periodic Performance Review (PPR) Meetings with the DHS Program Officer. The purpose of the PPR Meetings is to discuss performance. These Meetings will occur quarterly, unless otherwise decided by the DHS Program Officer.

1. The discussion will address:

a. Highlights of all previous reporting periods’ work;

b. A description of the reporting period’s activity;

c. Technical progress achieved against goals;

d. Technical, cost or schedule difficulties encountered, if any;

e. Recovery plans (if needed); and

f. Explicit plans for the next reporting period.

Programmatic Reporting Requirements List all program specific reporting requirements successful applicants must comply with during the award’s period of performance.

Reporting Requirements

1. Provide monthly programmatic reports with updates on each initiative and any issues related to students, universities, or laboratories involved in the program

2. Provide monthly financial reports, tracking funding levels and expenditures for each initiative.

If multiple federal agencies have provided funds for a given initiative, those funds must be discriminated appropriately.

VII. DHS [Component Acronym] Contact Information

Contact and Resource Information Provide a list of point(s) of contact available to applicants to answer questions or assist with technical problems while the funding opportunity is open. Where appropriate, provide specific individual names as well as:

Janet Bailey Phone: 202-447-0362 Email: Janet.bailey@dhs.gov 245 Murray Street, SW, MSC- 0115 Washington, D.C. 20528

VIII. Other Critical Information

Additional Information List additional information that will assist potential applicants in applying for, implementing or closing out this award.

E.g., How awardees may be notified of subsequent amendments to the FOA, such as website links, Information Bulletins, etc

IX. How to Apply

Application Instructions Provide information that will assist potential applicants in applying for this grant/cooperative agreement.

If you have reviewed this application, find that you are eligible, and wish to apply please find instructions below

*IMPORTANT! To avoid submission errors you must CREATE, SAVE, & SUBMIT applications in an Adobe Reader version compatible with Grants.gov. Forms in application packages should be prepared using the same version of Adobe Reader.

1. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov. If the applicant encounters difficulties, please contact the Grants.gov Help Desk at 1-800-518-4726 to report the problem and obtain assistance with the system.

2. To submit an application through Grants.gov, applicants use Adobe Reader. You must use a version of Adobe Reader that is compatible with Grants.gov. Adobe Reader is available from Grants.gov at no charge.

3. The applicant must have a DUNS number to submit an application through Grants.gov. See the Grants.gov website for information on how to obtain a DUNS number. In addition, the applicant must be registered with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) to submit an application through Grants.gov. See the Grants.gov website for information on how to register with the CCR.

The applicant must be registered, credentialed and authorized at Grants.gov to submit an application through Grants.gov. See the Grants.gov website for information on how to register, obtain a credential and become authorized.

DHS strongly encourages applicants to obtain or update all registrations, credentials and authorizations related to Grants.gov well in advance of the deadline for submission.

4. DHS may request that you provide original signatures on forms at a later date.

C. Content and Form of Application

You must complete the mandatory forms for this announcement, including the SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance), SF-424A (Budget), and other forms in accordance with the application instructions on Grants.gov and additional instructions below. If submitting any information that is deemed proprietary, please denote the beginning and ending of such information with asterisks

MANDATORY FILES:

1. SF 424 – Application for Federal Assistance

Applicants must complete an SF 424 application form. NOTE: Applications submitted through Grants.gov must use the SF 424 provided by Grants.gov. The SF 424 application form on Grants.gov is formatted so applicants are only required to complete fields which are indicated with an asterisk (*) and color coded. Once the application is complete, close the document (you will then be prompted to save changes or not).

2. SF424A Budget

Applicants must complete the budget in its entirety. Applicants must provide budgets by object class (salaries, fringe, travel, indirect, etc.). Funds may be requested as long as the item and amount are necessary to perform the proposed work and are not precluded by the cost principles or program funding restrictions (see Section IV.F).

3. Budget Narrative (Justification) File(s)

a. Attach your budget narrative and justification files (including separate budgets for each proposed subaward or subcontract) to the form named “Budget-V1.1” in the application package. If you need to add more documents than this form will allow (i.e. subaward budgets), please use the optional “Attachments” form to attach the additional files (see below).

b. Budget detail is required for:

i. PERSONNEL: Costs of employee salaries and wages.

Justification: Identify the project director or principal investigator, if known. For each staff person, provide the title, time commitment to the project (in months), time commitment to the project (as a percentage or full-time equivalent), annual salary, grant salary, wage rates, etc. Do not include the costs of consultants.

ii. FRINGE BENEFITS: Costs of employee fringe benefits unless treated as part of an approved indirect cost rate.

Justification: Provide the method used to calculate the proposed rate amount. If a fringe benefit has been negotiated with, or approved by, a Federal government cognizant agency, provide a copy of the agreement. If no rate agreement exists, provide a breakdown of the amounts and percentages that comprise fringe benefit costs such as health insurance, FICA, retirement insurance, taxes, etc.

Identify the base for allocating these fringe benefit expenses.

iii. TRAVEL: Costs of project-related travel by employees of the applicant organization (does not include costs of sub-contractor or consultant travel).

Justification: For each proposed trip, provide the purpose, number of travelers, travel origin and destination, number of days, and a breakdown of costs for airfare, lodging, meals, car rental, and incidentals. The basis for the airfare, lodging, meals, car rental, and incidentals must be provided, such as past trips, current quotations, Federal Travel Regulations, etc.

iv. EQUIPMENT: Any article of nonexpendable, tangible personal property having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost which equals or exceeds the lesser of (a) the capitalization level established by the organization financial statement purposes, or (b) $5,000.

(Note: Acquisition cost means the net invoice unit price of an item of equipment, including the cost of any modifications, attachments, accessories, calibration and maintenance services, or auxiliary apparatus necessary to make it usable for the purpose for which it is acquired. Ancillary charges, such as taxes, duty, protective in-transit insurance, freight, and installation shall be included in or excluded from acquisition cost in accordance with the organization's regular written accounting practices.)

Justification: For each type of equipment requested, provide a description of the equipment, the cost per unit, the number of units, the total cost, and a plan for use on the project, as well as use or disposal of the equipment after the project ends. An applicant organization that uses its own definition for equipment should provide a copy of its policy or section of its policy, which includes the equipment definition.

v. SUPPLIES: Costs of all tangible personal property other than that included under the Equipment category.

Justification: Specify general categories of supplies and their costs. Show computations and provide other information that supports the amount requested.

vi. CONTRACTUAL: Costs of all contracts for services and goods except for those that belong under other categories such as equipment, supplies, construction, etc. Include third party evaluation contracts (if applicable) and contracts with secondary recipient organizations.

Justification: Demonstrate that all procurement transactions will be conducted in a manner to provide, to the maximum extent practical, open and free competition. Identify proposed subaward/sub-contractor work and the cost of each subaward/sub-contractor. Provide a detailed budget for each subawardee that is expected to perform work estimated to be $25,000 or more, or 50% of the total work effort, whichever is less. The subawardee budget(s) should provide the same level of detail as that of the applicant (i.e., by Object Class Category/Cost Classification). In addition, the following information must be provided:

Subcontracts - Identify each planned subcontractor and its total proposed budget. Each subcontractor's budget and supporting detail should be included as part of the applicant's budget narrative.